


Sadness Sundaes and Hero Worship

by MsEllieJane



Category: Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Best friend fluff, Episode: s07e16 Thine Own Self, Gen, Katrina Cornwell was the Original Dancing Doctor, Sort-of crossover, ice cream cures everything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-20 22:05:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14270523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsEllieJane/pseuds/MsEllieJane
Summary: Beverly tries to inspire a distraught Deanna to finish her Bridge Officer's Exam with the story of historical figure who followed a similar career path. It works so well that Deanna gets a little carried away...





	Sadness Sundaes and Hero Worship

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired to write this by a [discussion prompt](https://theadmiralslegion.tumblr.com/post/172143742543/discussion-role-models) on The Admiral's Legion tumblr page. In my new headcannon, Deanna Troi absolutely sees Katrina Cornwell as a role model, despite her missteps. I am also adding to the dancer!katrina headcanon started by Pixie [in this great story](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13280454/chapters/30389352), and am declaring Katrina to be the Original Dancing Doctor. The fact that Jayne Brook majored in dance at Duke Univeristy doesn't hurt either...
> 
> Many thanks to Amy for the beta read!

Beverly looked at the mostly-melted hot fudge sundae, then at the despondent look on her friend’s face, and sighed. She slid into the chair across from Deanna, getting her attention and breaking the thousand yard stare.

“Sorry Bev, my mind was on another planet,” she said, looking startled.

“Deanna, I can tell by the lack of orgasmic noises that this is a sadness sundae. What’s troubling you?” Deanna shrugged and looked down at the half-melted ice cream, poking at it with her spoon. 

“Does this have something to do with the Bridge Officer’s Exam? Will mentioned you haven't passed the final simulation yet.”

“After three tries! I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.” Deanna took a bite of ice cream and slumped in her chair. “I’m getting the feeling I’m just not cut out to be a bridge officer. I’m too specialized at this point, and it doesn’t make sense to focus on anything but being a therapist.”

Beverly interrupted Deanna’s morose stream of thought by grabbing a nearby spoon and taking a bite of ice cream. Deanna gestured for her to continue eating, lacking the will to protest.

“Would you have told me to focus on being a doctor when I was thinking of taking the exam?” Deanna gave her a pointed look, trying not to roll her eyes.

“You know very well it isn’t the same! There are plenty of doctors who captain medical ships, and the admiral in command of Starfleet Medical was previously a surgeon. When it comes to mental health professionals however, representation in Starfleet Command is sorely lacking.”

“It wasn’t always that way, and it doesn’t have to be that way in the future.” At Deanna’s quizzical look, she continued. “I did a research paper back at the academy on the history of Starfleet’s mental health program. There have been been a number of noted Starfleet officers who started their careers in that field. Just because the number has shrunk in recent years doesn’t mean it should stay that way.” Deanna looked thoughtful as she scooped up the last bite of ice cream.

“Ok then, My curiosity has been piqued. Could you send me that paper? ”

“Done,” Bev replied after hitting a few buttons on the padd next to her. “I hope it gives you some inspiration.” After a moment’s hesitation, she put her hand on Deanna’s, choosing her words carefully before speaking.

“As a Starfleet Bridge Officer, you sometimes have to make very difficult decisions. Just keep that in mind, ok?” She smiled at Deanna’s annoyed look, and took her leave.

Deanna considered getting another sundae but decided that would be excessive. She ordered some coffee instead and sat down to read the paper Beverly had sent her.

Three hours later, she was at the door of Bev’s quarters, about to kick it down. When her friend sleepily let her in, she raced into the room and began pacing. Bev had witnessed her friend at all levels of excitement, but hadn’t seen her this wired since shore leave three years ago.

“I’ve just been down the most amazing rabbit hole, Bev,” she chirped, practically vibrating with energy. Beverly just stared at her, looking confused.

“Alice in Wonderland, it was an earth novel…”   


“Yes, I’m familiar with the story,” she said, waving Deanna off. “How does it explain your showing up at my quarters in the middle of the night, looking like you just drank five cups of coffee?”

“Katrina Cornwell,” Deanna replied, as though this should explain everything. “And it was only three cups.”

“The Admiral?”

“The first Starfleet Admiral with a background in mental health. She was a psychiatrist for fifteen years before pursuing command.” Beverly remembered the details, but still wasn’t sure why Deanna was so excited. 

“After reading your paper, I started to do some research on Cornwell and kept digging up more and more information. She was pretty amazing!” Beverly hadn’t researched Cornwell’s career that deeply, so she just nodded in response.

“It was her plan to put  counselors on starships, years before Starfleet got around to implementing it, so I essentially have her to thank for my job. She also did extensive work with PTSD patients throughout her career, developing some of the treatments I use in my work today. And not to bury the lead, she wound up the de facto senior flag officer in 2257 and brokered a peace agreement with the Klingon Empire.” Deanna stopped to catch her breath, obviously wired on adrenaline as well as coffee. 

“If a psychiatrist could go on to be that influential, there’s nothing stopping me from doing the same.” Beverly couldn’t help but be charmed by her friend’s enthusiasm, but she found herself slipping into doctor mode as concern arose. Deanna needed to sleep if she was going to pass her exam and she wasn’t in any shape to do so at the moment.

“Deanna, I have every faith that you will be just as, if not more, influential than Katrina Cornwell. I wouldn’t be surprised if you ended up running Starfleet in 10 years.” Deanna beamed at her, practically radiating happiness.

“Right this minute, however, I need to get back to sleep and you need to rest. Can I made you some chamomile tea?” Deanna nodded, the spell she was under suddenly broken. 

She stammered an apology as Beverly replicated the tea. “I’m sorry about waking you like this, it was inconsiderate.”   


“Don’t worry about it, I just want to make sure you are at your best when you run the simulation tomorrow,” Bev said, handing Deanna the tea. “Or today, I suppose,” she noted the late hour and yawned.

“I’ll get out of your hair now, thanks Bev.” Deanna sheepishly took the mug of tea from her friend and slipped out the door. Slightly embarrassed, she made her way back to her quarters and found that she was utterly exhausted. 

The next afternoon, Beverly received a ship-wide memo from Will, congratulating Deanna on her successful completion of the Bridge Officer’s Test and pending promotion to the rank of Commander. She had hoped her friend would stop by to make celebration plans, but hadn’t seen any sign of her. When she asked Will how the test went, he lowered his voice and told her that Deanna had been troubled by the actions she took to pass the final simulation. Beverly understood completely, remembering how much she had struggled with the decision to order a crewmember to their death to complete the test.

She had been trying to hint to Deanna about this last night, but wasn’t sure the message got through. She was probably shaken and in need of a friend, so Bev set out to find her. Ten Forward was the first place she looked and sure enough, Deanna was at a table by the window, another half-melted sundae in front of her.

“Congratulations, Commander Troi,” she said gently as she sat down next to her friend.

“Thanks, Bev.” Deanna offered a sad smile and Bev patted her hand. They sat together in silence for awhile, slowly picking away at the mostly melted ice cream. She could tell Deanna was processing her feelings about the test experience and would speak when ready. When she finally did, it was preceded by a long sigh. 

“The worst part wasn’t that I had to order Geordi to his death, it was the realization that it was only difficult  _ because  _ it was Geordi. I knew right then that if it hadn’t been a friend, I would have had no trouble giving the order. If it were a stranger I had never met before, I would have immediately mentally justified it. I don’t know what that says about me.”

Beverly remembered doing a lot of soul-searching after taking the test, and had struggled with similar thoughts.

“It means you have what it takes to be a Starfleet Officer. You have a conscience, you have a strong set of morals and you understand that you won’t always react to every situation the way you think you should.”

“Thanks, Bev.” This time the smile reached her eyes. “There is another thing that’s been bothering me, though it feels a little ridiculous.” Beverly gestured for her to continue.

“I noticed while doing my frantic research last night on Katrina Cornwell that some parts of her file were redacted. I happen to have an old friend in Starfleet Records Management, and she was kind enough to provide me with some of the redacted sections that have since been declassified.” Beverly raised her eyebrow at this, but didn’t comment.

“Those documents revealed that Cornwell was not the one who brokered the peace with the Klingon empire, it was a Klingon named L’Rell. In fact, Cornwell had been instrumental in a plan that would have destroyed the Klingon homeworld if it had been successful. Fortunately, a quick-thinking officer came up a better solution on the fly.” Deanna shook her head ruefully.

“To think I had held her up as some sort of role model. I can’t believe I let myself get so carried away like that.”

“She still seems like a good role model to me,” countered Beverly. “No really, I’m serious. When faced with the decision to destroy an entire planet to protect the Federation, she was willing to back down and take the alternative option. When you ran that simulation, if you had been presented with a choice that would spare the lives of your crewmen, wouldn’t you have taken it? Even if it seemed like a long shot, I know I would have taken the other option.”

“Me too,” Deanna said quietly, nodding as her eyes focused momentarily on the field of stars outside of the window. “I think you are right, there is a lot to admire about her, but I also need to keep in mind that she was human, not some mythical figure. I think there is space for admiration of her accomplishments while understanding that she wasn’t perfect.” 

“For example, did you know that she didn’t get married until after she retired from Starfleet? The idea of being so caught up in work and the responsibilities that there is no time for love and relationships, that’s a depressing thought.  I hope my path differs from hers in that regard.”

“I’m pretty certain it will, Deanna. You are surrounded by people who care for you deeply, and your empathy makes those connections even closer. Not to mention the fact that you work with a certain _Imzadi_ on a daily basis.” Deanna grinned in response to that.

“One interesting thing I discovered is that most of her husband’s Starfleet record was redacted. The kind of redacted that even my friend couldn’t uncover. Gabriel Lorca was quite the mystery it seems, and it’s my new goal to dig up more information on him.”

“Let me know if you find anything. My curiosity was piqued after our conversation yesterday and I went over some of my old research on Katrina Cornwell. One of the things I found was that she was an accomplished dancer who nearly became a professional ballerina before changing her mind and joining Starfleet.” 

“I take it the ‘Dancing Doctor’ approves?” 

“She does indeed,” Beverly said with a grin. “I like to think of her as the Original Dancing Doctor. You might appreciate the fact that dance therapy was one of her pet projects.”

“Well that explains the entire module on therapeutic recreation back when I was getting my training. She really was a trailblazer!”

“So are you,” Bev said, taking a spoonful melted ice cream and holding it up in a toast. “To the newly minted Commander Troi and the Admiral who forged the way!” 

Deanna grinned and raised her spoon up to Beverly’s. They clinked the spoons together, snorting with laughter as melted ice cream splattered across the table.

“I think we need another sundae, and not a sadness sundae this time.”

“A celebration sundae, then?”

“Exactly.”


End file.
